This past Monday, Chicago teachers and support staff went on
strike.They are taking a stand against
the neoliberal reforms being pushed nationwide (and globally), and fighting to
create schools that actually meet the needs of ALL students.Among other things, they are calling for smaller
classes, air-conditioned school buildings, and libraries in all schools.

The demands being made by Obama’s
former Chief of Staff, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, are exactly what is called
for in Obama/Duncan’s Race to the Top agenda.According to White House Spokesperson, Jay Carney, President
Obama “has not expressed any opinion or made any assessment about
[the Chicago teachers’ strike].”

President Obama has taken one lesson
from the Rhode Island confrontation, stay quiet and try not to offend anyone.This is because Obama wants the support of
teachers and labor, but also wants the financial backing of Wall Street.

As Paulo Freire pointed out long ago,
“washing one's hands of the conflict between the powerful and the powerless
means to side with the powerful, not to be neutral.”Howard Zinn said effectively the same thing,
as shown in the title of his memoir, You
Can’t be Neutral on a Moving Train.

Obama can remain silent, but his
silence speaks volumes.Through his Race
To The Top agenda, Obama has promoted the destruction of teachers’ unions, and
the privatization of our public schools.He has sided with the powerful Wall Street hedge-fund managers,
billionaire philanthropists, and all the neo-liberal advocates.

Thanks to the Chicago Teachers’ Union, and the Caucus of
Rank-and-File Educators (C.O.R.E.) for showing all of us what real union
leadership looks like.We all need to
demand our union leaders stop making concessions and start taking a stand to
defend true universal, democratic, and socially just public schools.

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About PEJAM

We are a grassroots community organization of teachers, parents, students, and community members dedicated to defending and supporting a fully funded, just, equitable, and democratic system of public education.

Check out the Points of Unity page for our full platform on education issues.